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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
I honestly only read this to help my daughter with a book report. I wasn’t a fan and I know she won’t be either. There’s nothing to pull you in and keep you reading - just very flat until the last 20 pages.
I saw this book at the local used bookstore and I decided to give it a reread. It was one of my favorite books from high school, it got me interested in reading. Sometimes on a reread the book is not as good and you wonder why you liked it as much as you did. Not the case here, I thoroughly enjoyed it this time and maybe even liked it more looking back on life as an adult.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Critic Score: B-
Reader Score: C+
The writing was at times beautiful and at times juvenile. Pacing was a bit weak, and the descriptive prose were a bit tedious.
I enjoyed the homoerotic nature of the novel, though one must know going in that this is all it the book will be. It’s almost baffling how un-self-aware the text is at points.
A truly shocking ending, complex characters, and an appealing New England prep school aesthetic—I was able to enjoy most of the reading, but am in the end underwhelmed and tired from the push to the finish line, as my interest was gone less than halfway through.
Critic Score: B-
Reader Score: C+
The writing was at times beautiful and at times juvenile. Pacing was a bit weak, and the descriptive prose were a bit tedious.
I enjoyed the homoerotic nature of the novel, though one must know going in that this is all it the book will be. It’s almost baffling how un-self-aware the text is at points.
A truly shocking ending, complex characters, and an appealing New England prep school aesthetic—I was able to enjoy most of the reading, but am in the end underwhelmed and tired from the push to the finish line, as my interest was gone less than halfway through.
This is a tale of a private school during the early 40s. It takes place with the war looming in their lives. I liked the relationship of Gene and Finny. It reminded me of The Catcher In The Rye. It is a powerful story that is inherently about having to mature before you are ready. I would give it a 4/5.
another in the list of books of which i appreciated what they were doing, but the actual process of reading them was an absolute slog. and by that i mean this book is great in theory but annoying in execution.
If I wanted to spend the time picking apart the theme of war that's imbedded in this book, I might be able to understand better why it's considered a classic in American young adult fiction.
As it is, this was a blend of A Scent of a Woman, Dead Poet's Society and Catch-22. Rich white boys in a private boarding school plus World War II. It's easy to feel sympathetic and commiserate with the characters when they are isolated in their school environment, surrounded only by each other and old, white, male educators who are referred to as masters rather than teachers, etc. Perhaps in that sense, A Scent of a Woman was a better version of this story, because at least Charlie came from a middle class background and broken home life, and he meets a veteran who lives a sad and lonely life and the viewer gets the benefit of the wider context of how the characters fit within society. In this case, as much as the reader is compelled to love Phineas and feel pity for Gene, I never felt entirely connected to the characters or the story.
As it is, this was a blend of A Scent of a Woman, Dead Poet's Society and Catch-22. Rich white boys in a private boarding school plus World War II. It's easy to feel sympathetic and commiserate with the characters when they are isolated in their school environment, surrounded only by each other and old, white, male educators who are referred to as masters rather than teachers, etc. Perhaps in that sense, A Scent of a Woman was a better version of this story, because at least Charlie came from a middle class background and broken home life, and he meets a veteran who lives a sad and lonely life and the viewer gets the benefit of the wider context of how the characters fit within society. In this case, as much as the reader is compelled to love Phineas and feel pity for Gene, I never felt entirely connected to the characters or the story.
My favorite book from my sophomore year of high scool and I connected with the story and struggles of the characters. Highly recommended.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think I didn't like this because many 17year old boys are emotionally incompetent. This book highlighted that and I spend much of the book yelling at the characters as I listened to the audiobook.